Adjustable chair



Jan." 5, 1943. J. M. DORTON ADJUSTABLE CHA IR Filed May 21 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 I. lnventpr: John Ml7ar2an, $64, 61

Jan. 5, 1943. J. M. DORTON ADJUSTABLE CHAIR Filed May 21, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 l A i Zhwentor; JohnMTflorZo'n; ffiy- {Gttomeg PatentedJan. 5, 1943 UNITED STATES BATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE CHAIR a John M.Dorton, Bonner Springs, Kans- Application May 21, 1940; Seriai No.336,33- 6 Claims. (or. 155-161) My invention relates to an adjustablechair and one of my objects is to provide a chair of this character inwhich the back may be swung downward through pressure exerted thereon bythe occupant, and will automatically swing upward when relieved of suchpressure.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for securingthe back of the chair in any of its adjusted positions.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a head-rest whichis so mounted upon the back of the chair that said head-rest may beadjusted to different positions to suit the convenience of the occupantof the chair.

Other objects will hereinafter appear and in i order that the inventionmay be fully understood, reference will now be had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- I Fig. 1 is a side elevation with a cushioned frameof the chair partly broken away and the upholstery removed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts disclosed by Fig. 1, with thecushioned frame and the headrest removed.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 2.-

Fig. 5 is a broken front elevation of the upper portion of the back ofthe chair with part of the head-rest in section on line 55 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 5.

In carrying out my invention I provide appropriate supporting meansconsisting in the present instance of a pair of members 2, each of whichis preferably formed from one piece of tubular stock and comprises frontand rear legs 4 and 5, respectively, united at their upper ends by alongitudinal member 8. The legs 4 and 6 are mounted upon casters In sothat the chair can be readily moved over the floor of a room.

A seat frame l2, preferably formed from tubular stock and bent intoU-form, is secured upon the longitudinal members '8 in any appropriatemanner, bolts I4 being shown in the present instance for that purpose.The seat frame [2 is provided with arm-rest IS, the forward ends ofwhich are bent downward and fixed to the respective sides of the seatframe. The rear ends of the arm-rests I E are secured to the sides ofthe seat frame with sheet metal plates l8.

The back frame 20 of the chair is also preferably formed of tubularstock bent 'into U-form and includes front and rear longitudinal sidemembers 22 and 24, respectively, the former of which are bentre'arwardly at their upper ends and fixed to the rear members 24. Thefront members 22 are connected at their lower ends to the respectivearm-rests 16 by means of hinges 26 so that the back frame 29 may beswung downward and upward to the respective positions shown by full anddotted lines, Fig. 1. The rear members 24 are united at their upperportions by transverse members 28 and 30, and united at their'lowerportions with a transverse member 3!. The lower portions of the frontand rear members 22 and 24- are connected by sheet metal plates 32 andtheir intermediate portions are connected with arched reinforcingmembers 36.

The back frame is secured in any of its adjusted positions by means of apair of segmental elements in the form of racks 38 and a pair of detents40 for engaging said racks. The racks 38, which are concentric to theaxis of the hinges 26, are connected at their rear ends by pivots 42 tothe lower ends of the respective rear members 24 and telescopicallyarrangedat their forward portions in the upwardly curved rear ends thelower ends of arcuate flanges 58 which are concentric to the axis of thehinges 26 and formed integral with the lower portions of the respectiveplates 32. The rod 46 is journaled at its ends in the sheet metal platesl8 and extends through a coil spring 60 secured at one end to the red byappropriate means such as a pin 62 and at its opposite end to an eye 64secured to a transverse memberfiii fixed at its ends to opposite sidesof the seat frame G2. The coil spring 60 causes-the rod 46 to yielclablyhold the detents Ml in engagement with the respective racks 38.

When the back frame 20 is relieved of the pressure of the occupant ofthe chair and the detents '40 are manually disengaged from the racks 38,the back frame is automatically swung upward from the full line to thedotted line position, Fig. 1, by coil springs 68 and 10 arranged in theopposite tubular sides of the seat frame [2. The

springs 1'0 'are arranged within the respective companion springs 38 andhave right hand convolutions to prevent them from becoming interlockedwith the left hand convolutions of their companions as the springsexpand and contract during downward or upward movement of the back frame28. The front and rear ends of each set of springs 68 and 10 areprovided with caps 12 and 13, respectively. The front caps 12 abut pins14 extending transversely through the sides of the seat frame I 2, whilethe caps 13 have reduced ends threaded in the forward ends of thetubular racks 38 so that the caps 13 may be adjusted forward or backwardto tension the respective sets of springs 68 and 10.

A cushioned frame which may be upholstered in any suitable manner isassociated with the underlapping the curved rear end of the seat seatand back frames I2 and 28,respectively, and

comprises a plurality of coil springs 16, l6a,'wire strands I8, stripsof wire mesh Bland suppleand 28, respectively. The wire strands 18extend from' infront of'the foremost'coil springs 76 to the. uppermostsprings 16a and are bent at their upper portions as indicated at 79 andsecured -to the supplemental frame 83a with suitable elements 81 anumber of which are also employed in securing the base of the springs'16 and 16a to the supplemental frames 33 and 83a, respectively.

The wire mesh strips 88 are approximately coextensive with the wirestrands. 18 to which they are secured by clips 85 a number of which arealso employed to secure thewire strands 78 to the upper ends of the coilsrpings 16 and 16a, respectively. The cushioned frame is supported, ontransverse rods 82 and 84, secured to the seat frame l2 and the backframe 28, respectively, as shown by Fig. 2. i

The upper portion of the cushioned frame is provided at each side with abearing 88, in which a shaft 98 is rockably mounted. Each end of theshaft 90 has an arm 92 fixed thereto and extending at rightanglestherefrom. The shaft 90 is prevented from turning too freely in thebearings 88 by wire brakes 94, Fig. 5, secured to adjacent strand wires78 and frictionally engaging said shaft. The free end of each arm 92 hasa stud 96 fixed thereto and paralleling the shaft 90 to support aheadrest 98 which may be ad just-ed to the various positions shown byfull and dotted'lines on Fig. l, for the convenience of the occupant ofthe chair. The head-rest 98 comprises a pair of end members I80 ofapproximately circular form united by a transverse spring-bar I02 andprovided with fixed bearings #84 which are mounted upon the respectivestuds i 86 so that the head-rest 98 may be adjusted to the variouspositions shown by the full and dotted lines above referred to. Feltbushings Hill are interposed between the studs 95 and the bearings I84,which may be saturated with a lubricant to facilitate the operation ofthe headrest. Suitable upholstery I08 is employed to cover the endmembers I80 and the bar I02.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided anadjustable chair having the advantages above pointed out, and while Ihave shown a preferred form of the chair I reserve all rights to suchother forms and modi fications thereof as properly fall within thespirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In an adjustable chair, a tubular seat frame having an upwardlycurved longitudinallyslotted rear end, supporting means for said seatframe, arm rests fixed to opposite sides of the seat frame, a back framehaving two sides, each comprising longitudinal front and rear members,the front member being hinged at its lower end to the rear end of therespective arm rest to permit the back frame to swing relative to theaxis, of the hinges, a segmental rack concentric with the axis of thehinges, connected to one of the longitudinal rear members of the .backframe and telescopically arranged in the upwardly curved rear end of theseat frame, a detent operably connected to the seat frame and adapted toengage said rack, a

curved flange fixed to the rear longitudinal member of the back frameand concentric with and frame, and means projecting from said flangeintov the slottedportion of the seat frame to coact therewith inlimiting the swingable movement of the back frame.

2. In an adjustablechair, a seat frame having tubular sides withupwardlycurved rear ends, a back frame hingedly connected to said seatframe for upward and downward movement, segmental elements connected tothelower portion of the back frame and telescopically arranged in thetubular rear ends of said seat frame, stops in the tubular sides of theseat frame, a set of coil springs interposed between said stops and theforward ends of the segmental elements toyieldably hold the back framein its upward position, and a second set of coil springs interposed between the, stops and the segmental elements and axially arranged withinthe first set of coil springs, one of said sets having right handconvolutions and the other set having left hand convolutions.

3. In an adjustable chair, a seat frame having tubular sides withupwardly curved rear ends, a back frame hingedly connected to said seatframe for upward and downward movement, segmental elements connected tothe lower portion of the back frame and telescopically arranged in thetubular rear ends of said seat frame, stops in the tubular sides of theseat frame, coil springs interposed between said stopsand the forwardends of the segmental elements to yieldably hold the back frame in itsupward position, caps .on the rear ends of said coil springs andthreaded in the adjacent ends of the segmental elements to tension therespective springs, and caps on the forward ends of the springs to abutthe respective stops. 7

4. In an adjustable chair, a seat frame having tubular sides withupwardly curved rear ends, a back frame hingedly connected to said seatframe for upward and downward movement, segmental elements connected tothe lower portion of the back frame and telescopically arranged in thetubular rear ends of said seat frame, stops in the tubular sides of theseat frame, coil springs interposed between said stops and the forwardends of the segmental elements to yieldably hold the back frame in itsupward position, sheet metal plates fixed to the back frame and providedwith segmental flanges underlapping and concentric with the curved rearends of the seat frame, stops projecting from said flanges, and slots inthe rear ends of the seat frame into which the lastmentioned stopsproject to coact with the ends of said slots in limiting the upward anddownward movement of the back frame.

5. In an adjustable chair, a back frame, a seat frame hinged to saidback frame so that the latter may be moved to different positions, saidseat frame having a tubular portion terminating in a longitudinallyslotted upwardly curved rear portion concentric with the hinges, meansconnected to said back frame and adapted to coact with the slotted partof the tubular portion in limiting the movement of the back frame, asegmental rack pivoted to the back frame and telescopically arranged inthe upwardly curved rear end of the tubular portion, a manuallycontrolled detent operatively connected to the seat frame and adapted tocoact with said rack in holding the back frame in any of its adjustedpositions, a stop in the tubular portion of the seat frame, and a coilspring interposed between said stop and the rack.

6. In an adjustable chair, a back frame, a seat frame hinged to saidback frame so that the latter may be moved to different positions, saidseat frame having tubular portions at each side thereof terminating inlongitudinally slotted upwardly curved rear portions concentric with thehinges, means connected to the back frame for cooperating with therespective slotted parts of the tubular portions in limiting themovement of the back frame, segmental racks connected to the back frameand telescopically arranged in the respective upwardly curved rear endsof the tubular portions, a rod operably mounted in the seat frame,detents fixed to said rod and adapted to engage the respective racks,springs means connected to said rod and the seat frame for engaging thedetents with the respective racks, and manual means connected to the rodfor disengaging the detents from the respective racks.

JOHN M. DORTON.

